Gideon Waja
Ghanaian footballer (born 1996)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gideon Waja (born December 15, 1996) is a Ghanaian footballer.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | December 15, 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| WAFA | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2018 | WAFA | 59+ | (5+) |
| 2018–2020 | Toronto FC II | 32 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | AFC Leopards | ||
| 2023–2024 | Hamilton United | 14 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011 | Ghana U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2017 | Ghana | 3 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of June 9, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of February 24, 2018 | |||
Club career
Waja began his senior career with West African Football Academy in 2015,[1] where he served as vice-captain.[2] Afterwards, he became the team's captain in 2017.[3][4] At the end of the 2016 season, the club received transfer offers from Aduana Stars and Kotoko,[5] but he ultimately remained with WAFA.[6] In November 2017, he began training with Kuwaiti side Qadsia SC.[7][8] In November 2017, it was announced that Waja would leave the club after the season with Major League Soccer clubs New York City FC and Toronto FC were being linked as potentially interested clubs.[9]
In February 2018, he signed with Canadian side Toronto FC II in the USL.[10] In 2020, the club opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in Waja not playing that season.[11] In March 2020, he returned to Ghana, and began training with his former club WAFA, while were also interested in signing him.[12][13]
In November 2020, he signed with Kenyan Premier League club AFC Leopards on a one-year contract, with an option to extend for an additional year.[14][15][16]
In 2023, he played with Hamilton United in League1 Ontario.[17]
International career
Waja played at the youth level with Ghana U17.[18]
In June 2015, he attended a camp with the Ghana national team ahead of the 2015 COSAFA Cup, but did not make the final squad.[19] On May 25, 2017, Waja made his international debut at senior level in a 1–1 draw against Benin with the Ghana B team (it counted as a full international, but a majority of the main squad players were not called up).[20] On 12 August 2017, he scored against Burkina Faso in the 2018 African Nations Championship qualification matches.[21] In September 2017, he was called up for two FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Congo, with was his first call-up with the full Ghanaian team,[22][23] but was an unused substitute in both matches.[18] He then won the 2017 WAFU Cup of Nations with the national B team.[24][25]
Career statistics
Club
- As of June 9, 2024[26]
| Club | League | Season | League | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| WAFA | Ghana Premier League | 2016 | 26 | 1 | – | – | – | 26 | 1 | |||
| 2017 | 33 | 4 | – | – | – | 33 | 4 | |||||
| Total | 59 | 5 | – | – | – | 59 | 5 | |||||
| Toronto FC II | USL | 2018 | 18 | 0 | – | – | – | 18 | 0 | |||
| USL League One | 2019 | 14 | 0 | – | – | – | 14 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 32 | 0 | – | – | – | 32 | 0 | |||||
| Hamilton United | League1 Ontario | 2023[17] | 8 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 0 | ||||
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 14 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 105 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 106 | 5 | ||||
International goals
- Scores and results list Ghana's goal tally first.[27]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 12 August 2017 | Stade du 4 Août, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso |  Burkina Faso | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2018 African Nations Championship qualification |